Rocky V only really, really great, this story of a pissed-off protege raging at the very designation was excellent source material adapted by two proper workhorses who knew that workrate is only ever the subplot. Jericho acted out this role wonderfully in the opening phase by predicting Shawn’s leapfrog, halting his momentum, and literally slapping the taste of his mouth.
The match pivoted around the idea that Michaels was the innovator, Jericho the disciple. Intensifying that premise, Jericho used cruelty to level up, creating an opening and a sense of anxiety by mauling his mentor’s back.
Ending with a flash pin—an old trick from an old vet—Jericho famously kicked Michaels in the balls, impetuous to the end.
